County’s jobless rate down for March

Unemployment numbers decrease around area

AUSTIN—Milam County’s unemployment rate dropped six-tenths of a point for the month, with its seasonally adjusted jobless rate at 7.4 percent for March, according to numbers released by the Texas Workforce (TWC) on Friday.

Milam County’s unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in February.

The decrease for the county was above average for the area, as neighboring counties saw decreases from just 0.2 to 0.5 percent for the month.

TWC figures for Milam County showed a civilian labor force of 11,121 for March, of which 10,301 are employed and 820 are unemployed.

The labor force is exactly the same for Milam County from March 2012 where it was 11,121. The jobless rate this time last year was 8.1 percent.

STATEWIDE—Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed the same for the month at 6.4 percent. It remained well below the national unemployment rate in March of 7.6 percent, down onetenth from last month.

“In the last 12 months, the private sector added more than 317,000 jobs, and every major industry recorded positive annual growth,” said TWC chairman Andres Alcantar. “We encourage job seekers and employers to access the quality services available through Workforce Solutions offices across the state.”

Construction employment grew by 1,900 jobs in March, marking the eighth straight month of growth for the industry, according to TWC reports. Financial Activities added another 3,200 jobs last month and Professional and Business Services fell by 2,100 jobs.

The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the lowest February unemployment rate in the state at 3.1 percent. The Odessa MSA came in second at 3.7 percent and the Amarillo MSA third at 4.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted).

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA had the state’s highest unemployment rate for March at 10.6 percent. Brownsville-Harlingen MSA was next at 10.1 percent.